Rocks In My Dryer: This Works For Me Quite Nicely

**UPDATED: Links at end of post!**

(And I know, this is Tuesday, not Wednesday, but bear with me and let's just live on the edge.)

What works for me, it turns out, is a measley 146 things. That is (to the best of my estimation powers, which are questionable, and if you don't believe me ask our tax guy) the more-or-less number of editions of Work-For-Me Wednesday posts I've written since I started the whole deal in April of 2006. I started it on a complete whim, never imagining it would last three weeks--certainly not three years.

But so many of you showed up and played along, and you turned it into something clever and wonderful. You--certainly not me--are the reason it has been so successful, and I'm just tickled I got to be a part of it. Thank you for that.

As much as I have enjoyed WFMW, I've also reached a point where I'm needing a rest from it. You might be surprised how much work it generates behind the scenes--and every bit of it has been happily worth the effort. But lots of swirly little things are bumping around in my heart and my head these days, some important realizations and convictions about rest and balance. (I'm thinking I'll probably have a thing or two to write on the subject, in the coming weeks, unless I just get so flat-out full of balance I can't pull my horizontal self off the couch. A girl can dream, right?) I've been thinking and praying and looking for some ways to simplify and trim back on some things that are very good but not, in fact, urgent.

I went to BlissDom a couple of weeks ago with the vague intention of shutting down WFMW altogther. I thought, perhaps, it had run its course. But, to my great delight, I met so many women at the conference who told me how much they had gained from WFMW--how many good ideas they'd learned and (my favorite part) how many new friends they'd made. I realized I'd be a real heel to shut down something that might still be of benefit, somewhere.

So I decided to hand it off to someone else. It would keep the community still going, and it would be a fun opportunity for another blogger. I thought through the options without telling a soul. I wanted to pick someone who would, I knew, handle it graciously and well. I wanted someone, of course, who had been a faithful participant in WFMW in the past. And it would've been icing on the cake if I could've met her in real life.

One name just kept floating to the top of my mind. She seemed like such an obvious choice. And when I got to spend some time with her at BlissDom, I knew we had our girl. So, my friends, please meet your new WFMW hostess, beginning next week: Kristen from We Are THAT Family. She has graciously agreed to take this on, and I encourage you to participate there just as faithfully as you have here. I've told Kristen to run with this and do it her way, and I expect she'll make plenty of clever changes. She has my full blessing.

And I'm not dropping off the WFMW train altogether. I'll still be around, helping Kristen if she needs it, maybe posting my own WFMW here and joining her Mr. Linky (Wouldn't that be fun? What do you bet I mess up and don't use the permalink?). And Kristen and I haven't ruled out the possiblity of working together in the future for even bigger things for WFMW...say, Works-For-Me Wednesday: THE MOVIE! Starring Reese Witherspoon, who cleans her shower with vinegar and sprays her hairbrushes with Static Guard, all while controlling paper clutter by using envelopes!

I'm just sure it would be a hit.

Kristen will be a hit, too--you're going to love her, if you haven't already met her. Bear with us over the next couple of weeks as we get everything transferred and she gets up to speed. In the meantime, tonight at 8 pm CST, I'll host a Mr Linky here (I didn't want to leave you high and dry if you had a post already written!) So check back later tonight to leave your link. Starting next week, you'll leave your links at Kristen's blog.

And if I may say it one more time...Thank you for making this little carnival something special. I have enjoyed it so much.

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